There's another contextual ads player in sight. Ebay is about to offer contextual ads to its members.

A test of the program, dubbed eBay AdContext, is set to be introduced early next week, Swaaij said. What goods appear in any particular advertisement will be determined by the keywords on that Web page, a technique known as contextual advertising.

eBay's system scans the text of a Web site for keywords and returns links to relevant eBay sales listings to the Web page. A Web site about sports could automatically feature links to sporting gear or memorabilia available on eBay, for example.

As listings change on eBay, advertising automatically changes on affiliated Web sites to reflect the new products or services for sale on eBay. Web site affiliates receive a cut of 35 percent to 60 percent of sales, depending on volumes.

This would be a great way for people to monetize their websites. Different website monetization programs have helped a lot of people create income over the internet. An addition such as this one from ebay will always be welcomed by webmasters.

If you have adsense though, I suggest you contact google before you add ebay's contextual ads just to be sure you won't be violating any adsense policies.

[via cnn.com ]